Our typeface quietly says a lot
We used to have a poster in our office that said, “I’m quietly judging your font choice”. It was meant as a fun little bit of design humour, but we’re designers, so we absolutely were. We’ll never call you out publicly on your Papyrus, but behind closed doors, we’d shake our heads and sigh. Typefaces say a lot about a brand — maybe the most — so it needs a lot of consideration. I know that sounds like a silly notion when the world seems to all use some variation of Helvetica, but for better or for worse, that too says a lot about each individual person, company and brand.
“But Magnus”, I hear you say, “you’re using Helvetica yourself! Kettle! Black! ETC!” Well, I don’t want to get all technical on you (I actually really do) but we have chosen to use the very latest evolution of Helvetica, Helvetica Now by Monotype, because it completely sums up Magnus.
Helvetica has been selected for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it can truly claim the title of a ‘timeless’ piece of design (a term completely misused these days). Created in Switzerland in 1957, its magic is in its quiet, clear and direct communication. There are a lot of type nerds out there that will lambast this comment and rattle off a list of criticisms and other technically clearer fonts, but to them I say, “QUIET NERD”, and then point them to our typeface, Helvetica Now: the latest version of Helvetica.
Helvetica’s usage in 2024 is very different from its usage in 1957, or even 2007. Chiefly, Helvetica is not great for screens, which makes using it in 2024 somewhat problematic. It’s tight natural kerning and some very specific letter forms don’t make it a great choice for UI, and UX. But designers are a clever bunch, so now we have Helvetica Now. Not only does it tackle specific legibility issues for screen and small type with a new ‘micro’ set of styles, but it also provides character variations allowing for personal flourishes and variations. But it’s all still grounded in the grid system that makes Swiss Style so legible and clear.
“But Magnus”, I hear you say again… to your laptop… “how does this reflect your wonderful design office?” Well Dear Reader, this is how we like to treat each and every brief. We ground every design in the Swiss Style, then add appropriate flourishes (sorry Switzerland) for the brief at hand. This gives each design the utility it needs as a piece of communication, giving a brand as much longevity as we can, whilst still adding the character brands need - just like Helvetica Now. It also creates specific forms for specific use cases, just as we like to design to specific use cases, rather than create a general look and feel that supposed to cover sever touchpoints.
And that’s why we picked Helvetica Now. What does your type say about you?
